


Godly Hijinks

by BellaLeigh



Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: AU, All Human, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2020-06-23 13:44:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19702555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BellaLeigh/pseuds/BellaLeigh
Summary: When several Greek and Norse Gods get bored, Eros hatches a plan to fix the relationship problems of a group of unsuspecting mortals.Trapped in a hotel together, the TVD and TO gang are forced to confront buried secrets and hidden desires. When the dust settles, just who will be going home with who?





	1. All Roads Lead Here

_A bit of a fluff piece. There will be some angst along the way, because what's a Haylijah story without angst? But, mostly just a fun little story about Gods who have way too much time on their hands, and the humans who get caught up in their schemes._

_This first chapter is Eros introducing Loki to the players in the little game he's devised._

**~Godly Hijinks~**

“So, what’s the project, this time?” Loki was actually far more interested in the project than he let on. For not being a trickster God, Eros could be a lot of fun to hang out with. Him deciding that he needed help with a project almost always meant serious hijinks were in store.

Eros pointed at a car containing a pretty brunette and a man with dark hair and started trying to explain what he was trying to do. “Hayley Marshall is currently engaged to Jackson Kenner. Why is anybody’s guess. They certainly don’t really belong together. So, we definitely need to break them up.” Well, them not really belonging together explained why Hayley kept fiddling with a small diamond ring on her left hand. Loki was willing to bet that she knew that accepting Jackson’s proposal had been a mistake. Because this wasn’t the excited fiddling of a woman getting used to the feel of a ring on that finger. This was definitely the nervous fiddling of a woman who felt the weight of the rest of her life resting on her hand.

But, that wasn’t going to stop him from giving his friend a hard time about this plan. “Never thought I’d see the day you were tearing relationships apart. And a betrothal on top of it. Your grandmother is going to murder you.”

“Not if this works.” He pointed at another car, in another state. This one driven by a young man with sandy hair and a devil may care smirk. In this one, Loki felt the pull of a kindred spirit. The man was no God, but he was a trickster in his own right. “That’s Klaus Mikaelson. Hayley had a one night stand with him a few years ago. Jackson doesn’t know about it.”

“So, you want to get Hayley and Klaus back together?”

Eros shuddered. “Oh, absolutely not. We’re going to get Hayley together with Klaus’s older brother, Elijah.” Another car, and a man with an obvious family resemblance to Klaus, but with darker hair. “They kind of had a thing back in college. They’d probably be together now, if it wasn’t for Klaus.”

“What did he do?”

“Remember the one night stand I mentioned? There’s a story there. I’m sure that the whole thing will come out during this little adventure we’re planning for them.”

Ooo… A story. And one that apparently pitted the two brothers against each other. Add in a fiance who was totally oblivious to his woman’s past, and this was sounding like a lot of fun. “Do you really need my help with getting this one couple together?”

“Oh, I probably wouldn’t. Except that there’s more to be done, here.” He pointed at another car, this one carrying two women, a blonde and a brunette. “The blonde is Caroline Forbes. We’ll be setting her up with Klaus. That one might be a little difficult. She hates him.” Which sounded like there was a story there, too. But, Loki didn’t have time to question it, because Eros was still talking. “Meanwhile, her best friend is Elena Gilbert. She used to date Stefan Salvatore. Until she got drunk one night and slept with his older brother Damon.” He pointed out the respective cars. Stefan was another blond, and was traveling with a pretty blonde woman who kept glancing over at him. Meanwhile, Damon was obviously several years older, and with black hair.

“So, we need to get Stefan to forgive her?” Which sounded kind of boring, to him.

“No, we need Stefan to realize that he’s in love with Lexi Branson, his best friend. We need to get Elena to realize that she slept with Damon because she wanted to, not just because she was drunk.” Well, that certainly sounded more like Loki’s idea of a good time.

“Is Lexi the girl in the car with Stefan?”

“Yes. You see the way she looks at him when he’s not looking? Best friend, my ass.” 

“Anyone else?”

Another car. This one carrying two men. The younger one pretty much looked like a younger version of Elijah. The older one was obviously of African descent. “Kol Mikaelson and Marcel Gerard. Kol is Klaus and Elijah’s younger brother. Marcel is a former fraternity brother of Klaus’s.” Another car, with three women. The two blondes were not only obviously related, Loki was willing to bet they were Mikaelsons. The third was another brunette, and probably the youngest person he had been shown so far. “And finally, the two Mikaelson women.” Loki had to smile at that. He had called it. “Freya is the oldest sibling, Rebekah the baby of the family. And Rebekah’s friend Davina Claire.”

“I’m guessing that the plan is to get Kol and Davina together? And Marcel with one of the Mikaelson women? Or am I misinterpreting why you showed me those cars together?” He thought for a moment. “And the other Mikaelson is going to be Jackson’s consolation prize? Because otherwise, we have two extra people running around.”

“No, you have it. Freya should be really good at making Jackson not care so much about his fiancee leaving him for Elijah. Kol and Davina will be perfect together. Marcel and Rebekah dated for a while. Until Klaus found out about it.”

“Had a problem with his sister dating a black man, did he?” Suddenly, Loki didn’t like Klaus as much as he thought he would.

But, Eros was shaking his head. “Not at all. Had a problem with his baby sister having sex. The fact that it was his fraternity brother didn’t help. Neither did the fact that he thought Marcel was too old for her.”

Okay, that was better. He shrugged. “Some of this sounds shady. But, you’re the God of Love. So, I guess I shouldn’t try to tell you how to do your job. I’m sure you know what you’re doing.”

“Oh, I do. If we pull this off, it will be beautiful.”

“Why so much interest in this particular group of mortals, anyway?”

“I’m bored. And the way this particular group are all tangled up together, anyway, makes them even more fun to play with.”

“Why do I have a feeling that Klaus is going to be the biggest problem in every one of these pairings?” Maybe not with the Salvatores, but you never really knew. 

“Because he is. He does more sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong than you and I put together.”

“I like him, already. Of course, these people are currently scattered across the continent. How do you plan to deal with that?”

“I have a few of my cousins working on that one. Messing with GPS, condensing space, who knows what else. I’m just leaving them to it. I am going to owe so many favors when I’m done. Speaking of me owing favors, is your brother ready to do his part?”

“Oh yes. There will be storms like you’ve never seen beforea.” In fact, Thor seemed to be looking forward to it. Apparently, Eros and Loki weren’t the only ones that were bored. “None of them will have any choice but to take shelter.”

“Good. Then, the last bit will be the time loop. Because I have no idea how long this is actually going to take. So, it’s only going to take one day of real time.”

“Don’t you think they’ll notice that bit?”

Eros laughed at that. “You’re worried about them noticing the time loop, but not the fact that they all somehow ended up at the same hotel, despite being scattered across the continent? I’m actually counting on them noticing the weirdness of the situation. Trying to solve those little mysteries will force them all to interact. They won’t be able to mostly stay in their own rooms and wait out the storms.”

But, the time for talking was over. Loki watched in fascination as each of the cars Eros had pointed out to him suddenly veered onto new highways. Highways that all radiated out like spokes on a wheel from the spot they were standing above. And then the storm clouds started to form. 

Eros smiled at the freak storms. Snowstorms, tornadoes, a few other nasty surprises. “He’s good. Showtime.”

** **


	2. The Arrival

_The human players in our little game all arrive and quickly realize that none of this is possible. Not that any of them are prepared to try to figure this out, just yet._

_As always, thank you for the kudos/likes/favorites, and comments/reviews. They mean a lot to me. Now on with the show._

**_~Godly Hijinks~_ **

_Louisiana_

Hayley was starting to freak out about how quickly the storm had started. “I don’t like this, Jackson. I really think we should find a place to pull over and wait this out. I don’t like how it just came out of nowhere.”

“Relax, Hales. Thing about storms that start real quick like this is that they also end real quick. It’ll be over in a few minutes.”

“Which means that we won’t have lost any real time if you pull over to wait it out. The other thing about storms starting this fast is that it’s more likely to cause a flood. And can you even see where you’re going?”

“Of course I can see. Now hush. I need to be able to concentrate.”

Hush. Right. Let him concentrate. Letting him concentrate made a kind of sense, or at least it would if he was concentrating on the right things. She twisted her ring around on her finger. It still felt strange, there, and surprisingly heavy for its size. And then her ears popped. “What the hell?”

“Yours, too? Change in barometric pressure. I’m guessing from the storm.”

Hayley just nodded. But then she saw something that made her blood run cold. The clouds above them had seemed to be swirling for a while, now. But, she had thought that was just her imagination, or an optical illusion. This was no illusion. Part of the cloud was starting to form a funnel, stretching down, towards the ground. Holy fuck, she was sitting here _watching_ a tornado form. “Okay, skip pulling over. We need to find shelter. Now.”

Jackson looked over at her, and then past her. And then he swore. “Okay, start looking for something, anything.”

Keeping one eye on the forming tornado, Hayley watched the road with the other, looking for exit signs, or a handy barn to take shelter in. And then she saw the sign for someplace called Chateau d’Eros. It was either some kind of hotel, or a sex club. But with a tornado on the ground and headed right for them, she didn’t really care. “Get off on the next exit. There’s a hotel. With a little luck, they’ll have a basement.”

Jackson nodded and veered onto the exit lane. Less than a minute later, they were parked in front of the place and running to get inside.

Hayley looked around the reception area. It definitely looked like a hotel. A pretty high-class one, at that. But, there was nobody at the reception desk. She rang the old-fashioned bell on the desk. “Hello! Anybody here?!” Then again, with a tornado in the area, maybe everyone was already holed up, somewhere. Well, at least the room had no windows. They could crouch behind the desk and pray. She was just about to suggest exactly that, when the outside door opened and a man she hadn’t seen in six years walked in. What the hell was Klaus Mikaelson of all people doing here?

**~Godly Hijinks~**

_New Mexico_

“What the Hell?” Klaus had never seen a storm start up that quickly. From blue skies to… what the Hell was up with the clouds, anyway? They were… swirling? Shit! Tornadoes weren’t exactly common in New Mexico, but they also weren’t completely unheard of. And it made a kind of sense that anything that sprang up this quickly could certainly be volatile enough to spawn a twister.

And then the hail started. And the sky turned a truly ugly color. He didn’t bother to look in his rearview mirror at where the clouds had been swirling. He had friends that were storm chasers. He knew what this all meant. And then his ears started popping, as if he needed more confirmation.

He started looking for somewhere to turn off the road. If need be, he’d huddle in a ditch, but he’d feel much better with walls around him. And underground would be better. He glanced in his mirror, and saw that the clouds were definitely doing more than just swirling, now.

Yeah, getting underground would be good. But, where? He hadn’t seen so much as a barn since he had turned off the freeway. Wait! There was something. A hotel. Chateau d’Eros? He had never heard of it, which seemed strange to him. He thought he’d been up and down every street in the county in the past few years.

Then again, beggars could hardly be choosers. Not when there was a tornado forming right behind them. He pulled into the parking lot, stopped in front of the door, and ran inside.

Only to be faced with two people he hadn’t seen in almost six years. “Well, well, well. Hayley Marshall and Jackson Kenner. Or are you Hayley Kenner, now? Not that it matters at this moment. Where is everyone?”

“We’ve already tried ringing the bell, and got nowhere. I’m guessing that the receptionist is in whatever kind of storm shelter they have, hiding from the tornado. I was just about to suggest hiding behind the desk, since we have no way of knowing where that storm shelter is.”

“Not the best protection in the world, but certainly better than nothing.”

And then the door opened, and an impossibility walked in. Not only was Elijah in Colorado the last time Klaus had talked to him, but there was snow on his coat and in his hair. What the actual Hell?

**~Godly Hijinks~**

_Colorado_

Living in the mountains tended to give people a healthy respect for snow. And thunder during a snowstorm was really never a good thing. At best, visibility was about to be lowered to close to zero. At worst, the thunder - or the accompanying lightning - could spark an avalanche. And having the whole mess come out of nowhere was also never a good sign.

Elijah was already looking for a place to stop and wait out the snowstorm when the first rumble of thunder echoed through the mountains. Seeing a sign for someplace called Chateau d’Eros, he didn’t hesitate to turn off the highway.

Upon entering the hotel, he got a shock, though. Two of them, actually. Hayley Marshall, of all people was there. When was the last time he had seen, her, anyway? Right. A few weeks after the party they were supposed to go to, together, that she had stood him up. Or got tired of waiting for him, since he was late. And it didn’t exactly surprise him that she was there with Jackson Kenner, the man she had flaunted in his face at every opportunity during those few weeks.

But, before he had time to process that, the bigger shock was talking to him. “I thought that you were in Colorado.”

Okay, that was a weird thing to say. “I am, Niklaus. How lost are you that you don’t even know what state you’re in?”

“All right. Can the brotherly banter wait a bit? Like I was just telling Klaus, I’ve tried ringing the bell, but nobody came. We were all about to huddle behind the desk and pray, since there’s no way of knowing where the storm shelter is. I think that as long as this place doesn’t get a direct hit, we should be okay, since there’s no windows, or anything.”

Elijah frowned at that. “A direct hit from what, exactly?”

“The tornado? You know, the major storm that we all seem to be hiding from?” She was looking at him like he was stupid.

“Tornado?”

And then Hayley froze. “Wait! What the fuck do you mean, you’re in Colorado?”

Before Elijah could answer, the door opened again.

“Caroline Forbes. What a pleasure.”

“Klaus Mikaelson. Perfect.” The blonde didn’t sound like seeing Niklaus was a pleasure, in the slightest.

Nobody had time to do or say much more than that, though. The front door opened again. The couple that walked in were both blonde, though obviously not related. And, unlike any of the others, they were dressed properly for winter in Colorado, and had snow in their hair.

But, the arrivals were getting closer together, now. No longer any time to react at all before the door was opening, again.

By the time it was all said and done, there were fourteen people standing in the hotel lobby. And Elijah knew for a fact that some of them should not have been anywhere near there. Marcel and Kol were in Chicago last time he checked. And Freya, Rebekah, and Davina were spending this weekend moving Freya into her new apartment in New Orleans. And had started in New York.

And then there was that comment from Hayley about him being in Colorado, like that made no sense to her. What the Hell was going on, here?

**~Godly Hijinks~**

Klaus was getting a migraine. None of this was possible. Elijah was in Colorado, he was in New Mexico, Kol and Marcel were in Chicago. From the way Hayley had been questioning Elijah on him being in Colorado, she had noticed how impossible this was, too. And the look on Elijah’s face at that, and when the rest of their siblings showed up, meant he had caught that, too.

“Has it occurred to anyone else that everything about this place is impossible?” Leave it to Elijah to take over the situation.

“What do you mean?”

“What I mean, Miss Forbes, was it?” At Caroline’s nod, he continued. “What I mean is that I was in Colorado. Niklaus should have been in New Mexico. I know for a fact that Kol and Marcel were in Chicago. And my sisters and their friend should be somewhere between New York and New Orleans. Miss Marshall also mentioned a tornado, while it was a snowstorm that drove me here.”

“Great. Perfect. So, we’ve wandered into a horror movie. A group of strangers all get trapped in a secluded hotel with impossible geography. Are we going to start disappearing one by one, now?”

“Except we aren’t really strangers, are we, Caroline? Show of hands. Who here knows somebody other than the people they were traveling with?” Klaus smirked when every single person raised their hand. “So, there. Not strangers.”

“Which doesn’t exactly negate the horror movie idea.”

But, Elijah wasn’t done taking charge of the situation. “All right. There has to be some kind of explanation.”

“I don’t know. I’m starting to agree with Caroline about the horror movie.”

“I mean a logical explanation.”

Kol rolled his eyes. “Are you really going to try to find a logical explanation for how we’re all here, Elijah? We started out scattered all over the country. We found this place while hiding from tornadoes and snowstorms. And, while we’re on the subject of tornadoes, I have never even heard of a tornado in Chicago in December. Until today. So, impossible geography and impossible weather. And, has anyone tried opening that door from the inside?”

Caroline’s eyes widened, and she went to the door and yanked on it. “Well, this just keeps getting better and better. So, we’re at a hotel with impossible geography, driven here by impossible weather, and we’re trapped. And alone.” She raised an eyebrow at Elijah. “Still going to try to say that we haven’t wandered into a horror movie?”

It was kind of amusing watching Elijah trying to fit what was happening here into his logical, analytical brain. “Okay, so everything about this place and how we all got here is impossible. And yet, here we are. But, we aren’t going to figure out what is going on by panicking. We need to be calm about this. So, first things first. We all seem to think that we’re in different places. And we’re all connected. I suggest that we start by going around the room, giving our names, who we’re traveling with, where we were the last time we checked, and who else here we know.”

“Fine. I’ll start.” The speed with which Hayley cut Elijah off was dizzying. Though, perhaps not surprising. She would want to be the first to admit to knowing him and Elijah. Take the lead on just how much of their history she wanted to become public knowledge.

Klaus glanced over at his older brother. Actually, that was fine with him. He didn’t exactly want certain things to be announced to the group, either. Not that he really blamed her for not exactly trusting him with that.

“I’m Hayley Marshall. Last time I checked, Jackson and I were in Louisiana, headed to New Orleans. I also went to college with Elijah and Klaus.”

“Jackson Kenner. And same. Hayley and I were in Louisiana. I went to college with her, Elijah, and Klaus.”

“Elijah Mikaelson. I was in Colorado. I arrived by myself. Freya, Niklaus, Kol, and Rebekah are my siblings. I remember Hayley and Jackson from college. I also know Marcel and Davina.”

“Klaus Mikaelson. New Mexico. I was alone. Elijah already gave a rundown of my siblings. I also knew Hayley and Jackson in college. Marcel is one of my best friends. I also know Caroline.”

“Marcel Gerard. Kol and I were in Chicago. I know all of the Mikaelsons, either from college, or through Klaus. I believe I met Hayley at a party once. And apparently I went to college with Jackson. Though, I don’t remember him. I guess we didn’t run in the same circles. And I know Davina from Rebekah.”

Klaus wondered if Jackson or Elijah had caught the way Hayley tensed when Marcel mentioned meeting her at a party. And it occurred to him that perhaps she did remember Marcel, and left him out on purpose. After all, that party, and what happened at it, was the thing that she didn’t want getting out.

“Stefan Salvatore. Lexi and I were in Vermont. Damon is my brother, Elena is my ex-girlfriend, and Caroline is Elena’s best friend.”

“Lexi Branson. Stefan and I were in Vermont. I obviously know Damon. I also know Elena and Caroline.”

“Damon Salvatore. California. I was alone. And, as I’m sure you can guess, I know Stefan, Elena, Lexi, and Caroline.”

“Elena Gilbert. Caroline and I were in Virginia. I know Stefan, Damon, and Lexi.”

“Caroline Forbes. Virginia with Elena. I know Stefan, Damon, Lexi, and Klaus.”

“Freya Mikaelson. Rebekah, Davina, and I had just crossed into West Virginia. I obviously know the rest of my siblings, and Marcel.”

“Rebekah Mikaelson. Freya was driving, so I’ll take her word for it where we were. I also know my siblings and Marcel.”

“Davina Claire. I was in Pennsylvania or West Virginia with Rebekah and Freya. Wasn’t paying that much attention. I also know Elijah and Marcel.”

“Kol Mikaelson. Marcel and I were in Chicago. I obviously know my siblings. And now I find myself wondering why I’ve never met Davina.”

“Because I wanted to keep you and Klaus far away from her. Elijah could be trusted. You lot are a pair of leches.”

“You wound me, sister.”

“Enough. Can we please get back to the matter at hand? Namely the fact that until a couple hours ago, we were all in different states.”

“And we’re now living in a horror movie. So, before we start trying to figure this little mystery out, may I suggest that we start by making a rule that nobody is ever alone? Buddy system, guys.”

“Well, that could make sleeping arrangements quite interesting. After all, we have a bit of an odd number, here.”

“Learn how to count, Klaus. There are fourteen of us. Last time I checked, fourteen got divided by two just fine.” Had Jackson always been such an insufferable ass, or was he picking up on, and reacting to, the tension between Hayley and the older two Mikaelson men?

“I was referring to the fact that we have seven men and seven women. Seven is not divisible by two.”

Hayley rolled her eyes. “Well, Jackson and I would have been sharing a bed even without this buddy system of Caroline’s. Which leaves six men and six women. I’m sure the rest of you can figure something out.”

Klaus barely hid a smirk. Had anyone else noticed that while she was talking to him, it was Elijah she had been looking at? And had it really been necessary for her to specify that she and Jackson would be sharing a bed, not just a room? “Well then, as for the men, most logical thing would be for the Salvatores to share a room. Marcel and I were roommates in college. Which leaves Elijah and Kol.”

The last thing Klaus wanted was to ever be alone with Elijah. Because if it ever came out just how well he knew Hayley in college, they wouldn’t need any outside force. His brother would probably kill him, himself.

“The women get a bit more complicated. Unless we do three and three. Because no matter how we divide this up, to go in pairs, we’re going to have two women who have never met sharing a room.”

It was Davina that spoke up. “I don’t mind sharing with one of the others. Let Freya and Rebekah share a room. So, since the other three of you all know each other, decide among yourselves who wants to share with me.”

“I will. Caroline and Elena are best friends. I know them, but… I don’t know Caroline particularly well, and Elena and I weren’t exactly getting along very well the last time we saw each other.”

Elena laughed. “Don’t trust yourself not to murder me in my sleep, Lex?”

Lexi just shrugged. “I just don’t care to start that argument back up, right now. Not when we have much more pressing issues to deal with.”

Well, that was certainly interesting. Then again, Stefan mentioned Elena being his ex-girlfriend. And he was traveling with Lexi. If the break-up had not exactly been amicable, then that would explain the bad blood between the two women.

Klaus clapped his hands together. “Well then! Now that we have that settled, perhaps the next thing we should do would be to actually choose bedrooms. And figure out how to get into them.”

Hayley was staring at the reception desk. “Well… that shouldn’t be too hard. Though, does anyone else find it… interesting that there are exactly seven sets of room keys on that board?” She walked behind the reception desk and grabbed the keys. “Seven sets, each with two keys. So, I guess it’s just a matter of which pair is staying in which room.”

“I say we just each grab a set of keys and see where we end up.” Marcel reached for the keys in Hayley’s hand, but she pulled away for a minute.

And then she looked at the wall next to the board she had pulled the keys off of, looked at the keys in her hand, and pulled one set out, before handing the rest to Marcel, who handed them out to the others. “Here. I’m guessing these are meant for me and Jackson, since according to this floor plan, it’s the only one with just one bed.”

“Which honestly just makes this even creepier. We’ve been herded here by freaky storms. That’s storms, plural, because we all started out in different states. There is no rational explanation for how we all got here. Because, again, there should be no way for all of us to have ended up in one place. There is nobody else to be found. There were exactly enough keys for all of us. And only one of the rooms that someone or something has picked out for us is meant for a couple who would be sharing a bed. Which… oh look! We have exactly one couple among us!”

She didn’t get to finish her rant, before Elijah interrupted her. “Yes, we all know your opinion on this. We have wandered into a horror movie. Well, if we are all going to die horribly in the next few hours or so, I prefer to see about having some alcohol in my system before that happens. Might make my death a little less painful.” He turned and walked out of the room.

“Honestly, where does he think he’s going? By himself? I swear, it’s like he’s never seen a horror movie in his life.”

Marcel snickered. “To be fair, if we’re in a horror movie, I’m probably going to be the first to die.”

Caroline threw her hands up in obvious disgust, muttered what sounded like “men!” under her breath, and took off after Elijah yelling about the buddy system.

“Anybody else not really seeing the point of this whole buddy system?” When nobody answered Hayley, she nodded. “Yeah, screw this. I’m going to go see about finding my bedroom.” And then she was gone.

Klaus fully expected Jackson to follow her. After all, he was her boyfriend, if not more than that. She kept making it very clear that they were sleeping together. And yet, he didn’t. Klaus barely held in a snort. Okay, the Hayley Marshall he once knew could be more than a little headstrong, but still. You would think that somebody who cared about her would be concerned about her wandering around this place by herself.

Well, if Jackson wasn’t going to follow Hayley to make sure she was okay, then Klaus would. “So, should we agree to meet back here in the morning? Start trying to figure this out when we’ve all had time to rest and think?” Not that he waited for a response before walking out of the lobby in the direction Hayley had gone.

**~Godly Hijinks~**

“So, the gang is all here.”

“They are, indeed. And already starting to figure out that something is very strange, here. I'd say that things are going well.”

Loki shrugged. “They don't seem too concerned, at the moment.”

“They're all in shock. Trust me. This is going beautifully.” Eros grinned. “And, it’s about to get even better. The group is already starting to break apart. And Klaus is going after Hayley. That conversation could end up being very interesting.”

Loki sighed. “Yeah, speaking of Klaus going after Hayley, I’m not sure I like that Jackson didn’t go after her. Are you sure about setting him up with Freya? I think he may need to do a whole lot more maturing before he’s ready for a real adult relationship. Which, is kind of ironic, considering he’s currently engaged. Though, I am definitely seeing what you mean about him and Hayley not belonging together. I’ll take your word for it that she should be with Elijah, but I already don’t like her with Jackson.”

“This is going to work, Loki. If anything can make Hayley realize that Jackson is not the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with, it’s going to be seeing the man she started dating him to get back at. And once the truth comes out about what really happened at that party… That’s when things are going to get really good. You’ll see.”

Loki could only nod. And then he turned his attention to Klaus, who had caught up with Hayley.


	3. Some Interesting Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus catches up with Hayley, and Caroline catches up with Elijah. And Loki starts to question just who is going to end up with who.

He caught up with her by the stairs. “Hayley, Caroline is right. You really shouldn’t be wandering around by yourself. At least not until we find out what’s going on.”

“Honestly, Klaus? What’s the point? If whoever or whatever brought us here wants us dead, we’re going to die.”

“Be that as it may, why make it easier for them? At least we can try to be smart about it.”

“I didn’t see you run after your brother.”

“That’s because Caroline already did. I might have still gone after them both, if you hadn’t gone wandering off. But somebody needed to look out for you, and I don’t see that boyfriend of yours doing it, do I?”

“Whatever.” She sat down on the stairs with a sigh. “Look, I’m actually glad that you came after me. It gives us a chance to talk.”

“And just what do you want to talk about?” He had a feeling he already knew, but it didn’t hurt to let her actually say it.

“I wanted to thank you for not announcing just how well we knew each other in college.”

He shrugged. “Nobody’s business but ours, love. Besides, I don’t exactly want Elijah to know about it any more than you want Jackson to. So, our little secret, yes?”

“And why would Elijah even care? I mean, it’s not like he actually liked me, or anything. I was a game he played, until something better came along.”

Klaus sighed at that, and sat down next to her. “Look, I’m pissed at him for what he did to you, too. But, I don’t know that I would say that something better came along.”

“I’m not eighteen, anymore, Klaus. I’m not sitting here crying my eyes out asking you why your brother doesn’t want me. So, I don’t need the fake compliments.”

“They were never fake. Every word I said to you that night was true. They still are.”

She held up her left hand. “Jackson and I are engaged.”

He couldn’t help but smile at that. “I’m not trying to get into your pants, Hayley. As enjoyable as that night was for me, I always knew it was a one time thing. You were hurting and I was there. And that’s all it ever was.”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For using you.”

He shrugged. “Like I said, I knew. You have nothing to be sorry for.” He smiled at her, then. “So, when’s the wedding?”

“I don’t know. We’ve started planning, but mostly stupid things. Haven’t set a date, yet. We’ll need to pick a venue, and look into availability, first. We just got engaged a couple weeks ago.”

He did his best to hide his frown. Her words made sense, but there was something to her tone of voice. She had only been engaged for a couple weeks, and yet, there was none of the excitement newly engaged women usually displayed. She was talking about planning her wedding like it was a business transaction. He was actually starting to wonder if maybe he wasn’t the only one Hayley had used.

Which only made him more pissed at Elijah. Hayley was possibly throwing her life away to marry a man she didn’t really love, because six years ago his brother had been a colossal idiot and hurt her more than she cared to admit. “Hayley…” He stopped. He couldn’t say what he was thinking. What good would it do, anyway? It would only hurt her, needlessly. If she had fooled herself into believing that this was what she wanted, and she would be happy, then was it really his place to call her out on it? He actually needed a woman’s opinion on his. Maybe he would talk to Rebekah or Freya, later. As long as they were all going to be stuck here, he might as well make the most of it, and try to help Hayley avoid making the biggest mistake of her life. But, to try now, would probably only make her defensive.

He kissed her cheek. “Be happy, okay? You deserve that.”

“What the hell is going on, here?”

Hayley stood up. “We were talking.”

“Right. That didn’t look like talking.”

Klaus stood up. “I was merely congratulating her on your engagement. And expressing my hope that the two of you would be very happy together.”

“By kissing her?”

“For fuck’s sake, Jackson! It was a kiss on the cheek! If you really have so little trust and faith in my fidelity then why the hell are you even marrying me? You know what? Don’t bother answering. I’m going to go explore the hotel for a bit before going to bed. Do not follow me.” And then she stormed off.

Klaus wanted to follow her. He liked the idea of her wandering the hotel aimlessly even less than he liked the idea of her going to bed by herself. But then he noticed where she was headed and hid a smile. She would be fine. And Caroline wouldn’t let her wander alone, again. He turned his attention back to Jackson. “I’d tell you not to follow her, but I already know you won’t. It took you wondering what the two of us were up to together to get you to come after her, this time, after all.”

“Are you insinuating that I don’t care about her?”

“I’m insinuating that I shouldn’t have been the one to go after her. If you’re that worried about her talking to another guy, then maybe you should try paying more attention to her, yourself.”

Jackson rolled his eyes. “And maybe you should mind your own business. Whatever. I’m going to bed.” He smirked. “Hayley will be up in a few minutes, I’m sure. This little ‘fight’ was nothing more than an excuse to make up.” And then he headed up the stairs.

Right. Like Klaus was supposed to care who Hayley slept with. He just didn’t want to see her get hurt even more. She had been through more than enough. He shook his head and looked at the tag on his hotel key. Then went upstairs to his room. Maybe he should have gone back to the lobby to wait for Marcel, but at this point, he just wanted sleep, and really didn’t care about much else.

**~Godly Hijinks~**

Finding the bar proved to be not at all difficult. Though he wasn’t at all surprised to find it unattended. Well, at least it was stocked. He walked around and grabbed a bottle of bourbon and a glass. Pouring himself a drink, he then left the bottle of the bar and walked back around to take a seat.

And then he wasn’t alone. Caroline, the blonde who was one half of the thread tying the two groups together, was on the barstool next to him. “Honestly, have you never seen a horror movie? What were you thinking, wandering off alone, like that?”

“I was thinking that being sober with this going on didn’t sound like much fun.” Plus, it got him away from his brother, who was acting strange. And from the woman whose sudden reappearance in his life brought up questions he wasn’t sure he wanted the answers to. Not that he was about to mention that fact to anyone, much less a perfect stranger. So, instead he decided it was time to start trying to figure out just what they were all doing here. Starting with untangling that single thread of commonality.

He turned to face her. “I find myself rather curious, Miss Forbes, about how you know my brother.”

“I fail to see how that is any of your business, Mister Mikaelson.” She laughed. “But, honestly, we should probably dispense with all the formality. Just call me Caroline. If we’re all going to die here, we might as well try to be friends, in the meantime.”

“I assure you that my curiosity is completely in regards to what brings us all here. After all, we are two very distinct groups. My family and our friends, and the Salvatores and their friends. You and Niklaus are the thread that ties those two groups together. Which tells me that you are probably a very important part of whatever is happening, here.”

“Spring break, my junior year of college. Elena went on a ‘ski trip’ with Stefan.” She held up her hands and added in the air quotes around “ski trip”.

“All right, I’ll bite. What’s with the air quotes?”

“Elena can’t ski. As in, she spent a week on a mountain in Switzerland and came back with no more clue how to so much as strap on a pair of skis than when she left. I’m guessing they rarely left their room. Which, is exactly what I was expecting to happen. Since I was going to be spending spring break alone, anyway, I decided to forgo the ski trip, and went to Cancun, instead. Figured I might be alone, but I could put on a cute bikini and get a tan. Maybe find a good looking guy who was interested in getting me out of that bikini.”

“And Niklaus ended up being that guy.”

“Well, isn’t that presumptuous of you?”

Elijah held up a hand. “You’re a beautiful young woman, and I know my brother. He would have wanted in your pants. Whether or not he ever got there is none of my business. But, I know he would have tried.” He sighed. “Look, I’m not trying to pry. I’m just trying to figure out what is going on, here. And, to add to the horror movie mystery going on around us, my brother has been acting very strange ever since we all got here. Strange, even for him. And he’s not the only one.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, how quickly Hayley jumped in to be the first to introduce herself. I fully intended to start, since it was my idea. And yet, in the time it took me to take a breath to do so, she had cut in.”

“Like there was something she didn’t want that fiance of hers to know about, and she was hoping that the other person, or people, involved would take the hint and keep their own mouth shut, too?”

“Exactly.” Which was curious. It wasn’t as if they had _much_ more history than that they knew each other in college. She had blown off what would have been their first date. He had never even kissed her, much as he had wanted to. So, just what was she actually hiding from Jackson? And then, the rest of what Caroline had said clicked. “Wait, fiance? How do you know that?”

“Please. You haven’t noticed the way she waves her left hand around, trying to make sure that _somebody_ sees that ring? My guess would be, it’s the same somebody that line about her sharing a bed with him was directed at. And, while we’re talking about how strangely she’s been acting, can we discuss the fact that Marcel remembers her from some random party in college, but she doesn’t seem to know him?” Her eyes widened. “Do you suppose he’s our mystery man, and didn’t quite get the hint?”

Elijah had to laugh at that. “Marcel wasn’t entirely honest about a few things. He may have  _met_ Rebekah through Klaus, but he  _knew_ her quite well. They dated for a while. Actually seemed to be getting pretty serious. If there had been something between him and Hayley, I don’t think he would have wanted my little sister to know anymore than Hayley wanted Jackson to know. No, I think the fact that he admitted to having met her lets us scratch him off the list of suspects.”

“You know, we really do have bigger concerns here than simply exactly how we all know each other, and what Hayley might be hiding. Like, how and why we’re here, for instance.”

“I beg to disagree. In fact, I am willing to bet that the details of how we all know each other plays a part in why we are all here.”

“Like, maybe we all have our secrets, and whatever brought us here did so in order to force those secrets out?”

“And do you have secrets, Caroline?”

“Oh, a girl has to have _some_ secrets, doesn’t she, Elijah?”

“I suppose she does. Though, that response just make me that more curious to learn yours. Purely for the sake of understanding what is going on, here, of course.”

“Oh, of course.”

“Don't let his charm fool you, Caroline. He's as much of an asshole as his brother. Difference is, Klaus is at least honest about it.”

“And exactly what did I do to deserve that comment?”

“Like you don’t know, Elijah. Or maybe you’ve just forgotten. In which case, it’s not my job to enlighten you. I’m just going to go, now.”

“Wait! Where’s your buddy?”

“Honestly, what’s the point? Whatever brought us here did so by some sort of magic. You really think the buddy system is going to help us if that thing wants us dead? You two have fun. And Elijah… interesting to see that some things haven’t changed.” And then she was gone, again.

Caroline stared after her for a minute and then turned her attention back to Elijah. “Wow! What did you do to piss her off?”

“You know, I've been asking myself that question for the past six years. Maybe us all being trapped here means I'll have a chance to finally find out.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “I can’t say if she’s right about you being an asshole. But, you are certainly a hypocrite.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, we aren’t two distinct groups. We’re three distinct groups. You said that exactly how Klaus and I know each other is the thread that ties our groups together. And maybe we are. But, what actually ties Hayley and Jackson into this? You knew each other in college. None of the four of you said anything about a continuing friendship. So, we aren’t the Salvatores and their friends, and the Mikaelsons and their friends. Hayley and Jackson are their own group. They aren’t your friends. Have either of you even seen either of them since you graduated?”

“No. The last time I saw either of them was six years ago. I don’t know if Niklaus even had much to do with them the next year, while they were still all there.”

“So, how do they fit into this? Something happened back then. Something that you’re still trying to figure out. Maybe before you start interrogating other people about their secrets, you should take a good long look at your own.”

“Yeah, maybe I should.” He picked up his glass and downed the contents. “If I’m still alive in the morning, I’ll start then.” He stood up and started walking to the door.

“Seriously, Elijah? Stop wandering off!”

“If you want to mother someone, Caroline, go find somebody that isn’t older than you. I’m going to go find my bedroom and try to get some sleep.”

“How can you sleep at a time like this?”

He shrugged. “Because I literally have nothing better to do, right now. And I’m drained. And I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be a very long day. Good night, Caroline. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

**~Godly Hijinks~**

“Two things.”

“What’s that?”

“I hate Jackson. He’s a jerk.”

Eros laughed. “I have a back-up plan if we decide that him and Freya aren’t a good idea. What’s the other thing?”

“Was Elijah just flirting with Caroline?”

“They’re both single, for right now. Nothing wrong with that. But, trust me, he’s still hung up on Hayley. Not about to admit it, even to himself, but it’s my job to know these things.”

“She’s pissed at him. What exactly happened between them, anyway?”

“You’ll find out. It’s actually a very interesting story. And, there’s no way the whole thing isn’t going to come out by the time we’re done here. It’s going to have to. There’s no way to get everyone together properly without some secrets coming out. Caroline is right about that part, at least.”

Loki shook his head, but he couldn’t help a smile. “And will it be up to me to cause some chaos for them to deal with along the way?”

Eros laughed. “Maybe it will. I guess we’ll see.”


End file.
